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VALSUSA – Leonardo da Vinci made his last trip to France in 1517, two years before his death, probably traveling through Valsusa, on the Via Francigena and crossing Mont Cenis. “And so a detail of the landscape to the left of the Mona Lisa (seen by those looking at the painting) may have been inspired by Mount Rocciamelone and a small lake located in the territory of the small municipality of Ferrera Moncenisio, on the border with French territory”. These are the hypotheses and the recent results of a research conducted by the art historian Silvano Vinceti, which arrive after the discovery that had worldwide resonance in 2023 and, that is, the asserted belief that what is represented in the background of the Mona Lisa is the Romito Bridge. What remains of the artifact, a single arch, is located in Laterina, a small town in the province of Arezzo. Continuing his research, Vinceti exhumed and examined many historical documents, driven by the desire to understand what route Leonardo took to go to France, to Amboise, for the last time and in what year. In this regard the dominant hypothesis is that it was in the autumn of 1516, but in the Codex Atlanticus Leonardo himself wrote a few lines reporting that he arrived in Amboise in May 1517: “the day of the descent into Ambosa 1517 of May in the Clu” . “The documents I examined – states the historian and researcher – certify that in the sixteenth century the Mont Cenis hill was the most popular one to cross the Alps and descend to French soil. In this regard there are testimonies of many characters, from Margaret of Valois, younger sister of King Henry II of France, to Duchess Jolanda, daughter of King Charles VII of France and wife of Amedeo IX of Savoy. Among others also Michel de Montaigne, French philosopher, writer and politician.” And climatic-atmospheric, geographical and infrastructural arguments in favor of this route were also reported at the time by the famous Marrons mountain guides, brave and robust men who, for a fee, served as porters for the transit of the Mont Cenis pass. And what he observed during this trip most likely inspired Leonardo to paint part of the landscape of the Mona Lisa. The genius of the Renaissance, in fact, depicted details of real landscapes in the overall background of his paintings. This thesis was confirmed by prof. Carlo Vecce and, in an older era, by the Leonardesque historian Gustavo Uzielli. Leonardo, therefore, states Vinceti, on his journey to Amboise saw the mountain ranges that surround the Moncenisio hill, and specifically that of Rocciamelone, where the old Via Francigena passed. And he also saw a small lake. Also using a drone, the historian was able to compare these details with the upper part of the landscape painted by Leonardo. The correspondence is truly remarkable. And, to corroborate the theses presented, Silvano Vinceti and a collaborator of the Committee chaired by him (National Committee for the Valorization of Historical, Cultural and Environmental Heritage) discovered the Mona Lisa in the upper part of the landscape, above the lake and the mountain of Rocciamelone , what appears to be the writing: “juse”. It is a French term that refers to Val Susa. One of those that Leonardo also used in his will. All these discoveries are described in great detail in Vinceti’s new book “The landscape of the Mona Lisa between mysteries and suggestions” (Armando Editore), coming out these days.
SILVANO VINCETI
Art historian, researcher, writer and author for television and radio programs, he has published more than 25 books, some of which are dedicated to Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio and has carried out in-depth research on Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. His passion for art history and research drives him to explore unknown details and discover new information about paintings and their historical contexts. As for the Mona Lisa, Vinceti discovered that Leonardo painted the letters L and S in his eyes and the number 72 under the arch of the bridge which appears in the landscape. In 2023 the news that the Romito Bridge is the one depicted in the landscape of the Mona Lisa was published in all the countries of the world and by the most authoritative newspapers.
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May 23, 2024
